January 1, 2026
Dogwhistles under the Christmas tree
Straussian Memes: A Lens on Techniques for Mass Persuasion
Santa, church, and secret codes: commenters call BS, coin 'polyentendre'
TLDR: LessWrong’s post claims persuasive memes hide layered meanings, illustrated by Santa and church examples. The comments explode into a debate over whether this is real insight or rebranded dogwhistles, with skeptics calling the examples weak and others coining “polyentendre” to describe the technique — important for understanding how messaging shapes belief.
LessWrong dropped a spicy think-piece on “Straussian Memes” — messages with layered meanings that tell different stories to different audiences. The post riffs on a dad’s “Santa must love you” line and a pastor reading from “the Word of God,” arguing these are multi-level signals cloaked by taboo, politeness, and social status. Cue the comments section lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Skeptics came in hot. Cathyreisenwitz basically asked if any of the examples are even memes and added, “that’s not how churches generally work,” drawing a line under what she saw as theory cosplay. Others nodded to “plausible deniability,” saying this is just a fancy way to talk about slippery language. Motohagiography brought the academic heat with exoteric vs. esoteric (public vs. insider meanings), and wondered if we’re just reinventing dogwhistles. Meanwhile, blamestross stole the show with a new term: “polyentendre” — multiple truths packed into one line like linguistic compression.
The vibe: half eye-roll, half intrigued. Some readers see a useful lens on how mass persuasion really works; others say it’s buzzword bingo with a Santa beard. VikingCoder dropped the bumper-sticker wisdom: “You can’t change the people around you — but you can change the people around you.” Whether you call it Straussian, dogwhistle, or polyentendre, the thread is a masterclass in how we argue about arguing — and how a simple holiday quip turns into a philosophy throwdown at LessWrong.
Key Points
- •The article defines “Straussian Memes” as messages with higher and lower readings that communicate different ideas to different audiences.
- •Those who accept the higher reading regard the lower reading as a noble lie or useful simplification.
- •Stratified structures are self-stabilizing and help memes maintain a broad, durable base; this may arise by design or selection pressures.
- •A holiday “Santa” example shows how layered messaging can be shielded and cloaked by social norms, preserving different interpretations simultaneously.
- •A church example (“the Word of God”) demonstrates how one phrase can support multiple doctrinal interpretations within a single audience.